Operation G-Sting, also called Strippergate, and referencing the

G-String A G-string is a type of thong, a narrow piece of fabric, leather, or satin that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a waistband around the hips. A G-string can be worn both by men and by women. It may al ...

costume often worn by strippers and showgirls, was an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

investigation into

bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...

s and unreported

campaign contribution Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political ac ...

s taken by

Clark County Commission The Clark County Commission is the governmental organization that governs and runs Clark County, Nevada, providing services to the unincorporated areas. Its offices are located at the Clark County Government Center in Downtown Las Vegas. The comm ...

ers in Clark County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

(home of Las Vegas) and

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

members in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. These bribes were from the same

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

, representing two sets of strip clubs, and was the result of strip club owners Rick Rizzolo and Mike Galardi trying to remove local "no touch" laws affecting the girls in their clubs. A separate arms dealing investigation was started after the ''Operation G-Sting'' investigation, and ended around the same time.

History

On February 20, 2003, FBI,

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

and

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

agents removed material and documents from the

Crazy Horse Too Crazy Horse Too is a closed strip club located at 2476 Industrial Road in Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, a few blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip. The club was known as Billy Jo's during the 1970s. In 1978, the club was purchased by Americ ...

as part of a lengthy criminal investigation. As part of that investigation actors

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

, and

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films ''Ra ...

were interviewed. The case ended in 2006 when 17 defendants pleaded guilty to various offenses. As a part of the plea bargain Rick Rizzolo was ordered to sell the Crazy Horse Too within one year.

Political corruption convictions

The investigation resulted in the convictions of 17 defendants including: # Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald (R) pled no contest to filing a false statement and campaign funding irregularities. (2009) # Clark County Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey (D) was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, fined $7,600 and ordered to forfeit $19,000 in assets. (2006) # Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera (D) was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, fined $15,000 and ordered to forfeit $60,000 in assets. (2006) # Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny (D) was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. (2006) # Clark County Commissioner Lance Matthew Malone (R) pleaded guilty to violating federal racketeering laws for bribing commissioners. (2006) In San Diego, California, three city council members were accused of corruption:

Ralph Inzunza Ralph Inzunza (born c. 1969) is a former city councilman from San Diego. He was elected in March 2001 to represent City Council District 8. He resigned in July 2005 along with Councilman Michael Zucchet after both were convicted on federal corrupt ...

Michael Zucchet Michael J. Zucchet (born December 24, 1969) is an American Democratic politician, a former member of the San Diego City Council, and a former Deputy Mayor of San Diego. In 2005, he briefly served as the Acting Mayor of San Diego. Early life and ...

and Charles L. Lewis though Lewis died of unrelated health issues prior to trial. Inzunza and Zucchet were both convicted, though Zucchet was later cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence.

Main players

*Jack Galardi – Businessman and father of Michael *Michael Galardi – Strip club owner of Jaguars and Cheetah's strip clubs. Galardi admitted that he had paid various public officials between $200,000 and $400,000. *Lance Malone – Lobbyist, former county commissioner (Clark County, Nevada). *Tony Montegna – Undercover informant, key witness *Rick Rizzolo – Strip club owner *Charles Tappe – Street arms dealer *John D'Intino – Strip club manager and friend of Jack Galardi

Notes

References

* Jordan, Brent, ''Stripped: Twenty Years of Secrets from Inside the Strip Club'', 2004, * * * {{US federal public corruption law Strip clubs in the United States Political corruption investigations in the United States Government of Clark County, Nevada History of San Diego Political scandals in Nevada

History

Political corruption convictions

Main players

See also

Notes

References